The Collegiate Court of Villa Altagracia sentenced four of the nine police officers involved in the shooting death of the newlywed couple, 32-year old Elisa Muñoz Marte and 35-year old Joel Eusebio Díaz Ferrer.
Private Guillermo Rosario Melo and Colonel César Maríñez Lora, who served as the hierarchical superior of the police patrol that on 30 March 2021, killed the married couple who were on their way to Santo Domingo, were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The couple was returning to Santo Domingo with two other people after participating in a religious activity. The couple were Christian pastors.
The policemen were found guilty of voluntary manslaughter to the detriment of the newly married couple.
The court also found Second Lieutenant Victorino Reyes Navarro and Corporal Ángel de los Santos guilty, sentencing them to eight years in prison.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Domingo Perdomo Reyes, Private Anthony Castro Pérez, Private Juan Samuel Ogando Solís and Private Emil Alexander Rincón Martes were declared not guilty and their release was ordered. The court argued that the evidence provided is not sufficient to establish their responsibility in the crime.
In an unusual ruling against police, Guillermo Rosario Melo, César Maríñez Lora, Victorino Reyes Navarro and Ángel de los Santos were also sentenced to pay various compensations consisting of RD$8.5 million and RD$5 million to the family of the deceased.
The judges also declared Norquis Rodríguez Jiménez not guilty, ensuring that he had no participation in the crime, so they ordered his release.
The Public Ministry had requested that eight of the nine police officers involved in the case be sentenced to 30 years in prison and a sentence of five years in jail for Norquis Rodríguez Jiménez.
Before the crime occurred and following a previous report of a robbery, the agents had set up the checkpoint on the Duarte highway, where the unsuspecting couple was fired at in this case of mistaken identity.
The court held that it considered the fact that these are police officers are individuals who are knowledgeable about firearms and their use.
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Diario Libre
Listin Diario
16 October 2023